Are you ready to see TRUE darkness?
by Schattenfluch
Summary: When Wirt blew out The Beasts latern, he hadn't expected this. Now, with 18, he has to return to the Unknown… or the Unknown will get him itself. Beast!Wirt
1. Chapter 1

"Are you ready to see true darkness?"

Wirt woke up with a short scream, breathing heavy. His hands were shaking. He took a deep breath, starring up to the white ceiling. He was at the hospital. Because of his broken right arm. "This is not The Unknown." He said, trying to reassure himself.

The nightmare was a recurring dream, there rarely was a night where Wirt could escape The Beast. He had thought that he slowly but surely got rid of them but… being in the hospital didn't help.

Wirt had avoided hospitals like the plague. They reminded him too much of the near-death experience. The smells, the sounds, it all brought back the memories of returning from The Unknown. Of having just almost died. Four years, four years Wirt managed to stay out of a hospital. Stupid traffic accident.

He was lucky the doctor said, just a broken arm. Looking at the state of this car, he could have had way worst. Wirt didn't want to stay a night at the hospital for 'observation', but his mom had almost freaked out. This was not the first accident this month.

The series of accidents started on his 18th birthday on the 28th of July. He slipped, falling into a lake. As he hit the cold surface of the water he feared waking up in The Unknown. Luckily that didn't happen. Just a little over one week later a tree almost hit his head.

And now, 20 days after the first accident he was lying in the hospital, even if it was just a broken arm. Wirt laughed dryly. It was almost as if The Unknown was trying to reclaim him. The thought was scarring him, The Unknown was scarring him.

He sat up. The lights in his room were dim, the window gave a beautiful view of the night sky. Wirt stood up, walking towards it. He lifted his hand up to the window, starring up to the dark nearly cloudless sky.

He flinched as he heard something shatter in the corridor. Slowly he turned around and walked towards the door. Slowly he opened it, stepping out into the corridor. It was empty and dark. No doctors, no nurses, just Wirt. Wirt swallowed and turned left. He wanted nothing more than to go back into his room and since there was nothing he could see… he swallowed and walked forward. "I am just going to look around the corner." He said, trying to comfort himself. His voice was barely even a whisper.

He stepped around the corner and stood at the top of the stairs. Somebody seemed to have thrown in a ball through the window. Wirt sighted. There was nothing. He took a step backward, bumping into something. He turned around ready to excuse himself but…

There was no one.

Wirt started to tremble. What was that? Turning around again he looked at the shattered widow again. Nothing. Noone.

Suddenly he lost his footing, stumbling forward. He screamed just before his broken arm hit the glass.

Then everything went completely dark.


	2. Chapter 2

When Wirt woke up for the first time, he felt a rough structure underneath him. Yet it wasn't uncomfortable at all. The wind gently moved the leaves above him, the sounds of the forest calming and peaceful. The boy couldn't get himself to care. He was too tired to think and just being here felt so good. He felt at home. Slowly his mind drifted back into sleep and all of Wirt's senses went numb.

When the boy awoke for the second time his body felt heavy. Slowly he started to peel his eyes open. Light flooded the darkness and noises the silence. The light grew more intense with every passing second and the sound seemed to be coming nearer. Wirt's body still felt numb, he couldn't really feel his fingers and toes yet.

Suddenly the way to bright was dimmed by a figure leaning over Wirt. As his vision turned sharper he could make out more. "Mom…" he croaked, throat feeling like sandpaper, dry and rough.

"Oh my god! Wirt!" Her voice sounded like she had been crying. "Are you alright? How do you feel? What were you thinking." The worry in her voice became more noticeable with each word she said.

The woman sat down next to Wirt. The boy turned his head to face his mother. "… What happened?" he asked. His memory was fuzzy, the last thing he could remember was … a forest? No that couldn't be.

"Wirt." His mother's voice was soft and caring. "You... you felt down the stairs. Somebody had thrown something through the window." She sobbed. "You fell down into the glass. Do you know how worried I was? I got a phone call from the hospital. At 3 am!"

"'M sorry Mom," Wirt whispered, voice still weak. It was difficult to keep his eyes open.

"Don't be." She ruffled through Wirt's hair. "I just… Why were you even up?"

"Heard something…" He yawned "Couldn't sleep."

The woman smiled, kissing Wirt's forehead. "Then sleep now."

Wirt nodded weakly and the world faded to black again.

When he woke up for the third time, Wirt heard voices. He tried to open his eyes but… everything just felt so heavy. He was so tired, he could barely make out the words that were said.

"… healthy." An unknown woman's voice said, sounding a bit freaked out. Why did she sound so freaked out? Wirt asked himself, wasn't healthy good? God, he couldn't think straight.

"I mean, that could be a mistake." Mom, Wirt realizes. "Or the doctor before could have been wrong." She sounded unsure, worried. Wirt wanted to help her, to say that everything will be okay. But he couldn't move, couldn't even open his eyes. All his muscles felt like glued into place.

"I mean" his mother continued "his arm can not just heal overnight… not to mention, that he had glass shards sticking out of it only a few hours ago." Her voice was shaking. "I… I saw it. And yet you say there is nothing?"

"Please calm down." The other woman stated, voice monotone and cold. "I can just give you the information I received. I know that it should be impossible." She took a deep breath. "Fact is: The broken bone is healed as well as all the wounds caused by the glass. This is the first time I heard about something like this."

The weight on Wirt's bed shifted, his mother was sitting down next to him. "Does anyone have an idea why?" She asked exhausted.

"Well," the other woman's voice dropped, turning into a whisper. Wirt could barely make out what was being said. "there was something strange…"

His mother shifted on his bed. "Stranger than the suddenly healed arm?"

"Well, there apparently was some unidentified liquid in his blood…" Wirt couldn't hear more, the rest he received was just a quiet undecipherable mumble. His mind too tired to comprehend those words.

"I expect to be the first one, who is informed." His mother stated, she turned around to ruffle through Wirt's hair again, but Wirt was already fast asleep.

"Wakey, wakey, dear Brother o' mine."

Wirt turned around, eyes still closed. "Come on Greg…" he muttered, "Let me sleep."

"No-ho!" His younger brother started shaking him. "You have slept waaaaaay too long!"

Wirt tried to curl himself together in his bed- this wasn't his bed! It was too soft, the blanket too heavy. Wirt sat up, breathing heavily. As he saw the white walls he groaned. "I'm in the hospital." He stated.

"But of course!" Greg sat on the bed, legs swinging over the side. "And the doctors have already fixed you up completely."

Disbelieving, Wirt lifted his broken- formerly broken arm. Nothing. It was as if there never was a scratch on it. The boy vaguely remembered somebody talking about… this but couldn't quite put his finger on where this information had come from.

"Mom said, you fell down the stairs." Greg said, still smiling brightly as if 'falling down the stairs' was a trip to the amusement park.

"Yeah…" Wirt said. "There… was something…"

"The broken window?" Greg asked. "Don't worry! Detective Greg will find the culprit who did it."

"Thanks, Greg." Wirt let a small smile ghost over his lips. "But I don't mean the window. It felt like… not from here." He wasn't entirely sure why he was telling Greg this but when Wirt saw the big eyes of the younger kid starring up to him, he immediately regretted bringing it up.

"Not from here? You mean like from The Unknown?" When they returned, it was clear that they had been in another 'world'. While Wirt did his research on near-death-experiences, Greg decided that The Unknown was some kind of magical land, where they were sent to defeat The Beast. Oh, how often he had come to Wirt over those past four years to ask him if they would return there. "Were you there?" Greg continued with his childish enthusiasm. "Have you seen Beatrice, or Auntie Whispers, or the Woodsman? I miss them…"

Wirt wasn't entirely sure how to answer to that. Unlike Greg, he feared The Unknown, even though he missed some of the people/birds he met there.

"There are my two boys!" Wirt and Greg turned around, their mother standing in the doorframe. "Having fun?"

"Yes!" Greg nearly shouted. "Wirt maybe saw something from The Unknown!"

Their mother's eyes darkened at the mention of 'The Unknown'. Greg had told her and his father a lot about this place and the 'adventures' they had. Both of them did not believe him and were concerned when Wirt mentioned having had the same 'dream'. "Greg, mind getting me and your brother some water? You can ask the nice lady at the entrance."

Greg saluted. "Aye aye, Captain Mom."

The woman copied the salute as the small boy left the room. She signed and pulled a chair next to Wirt's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Not… not bad actually," Wirt confessed. "My arm… is fine."

His mother sighed. "Do you remember anything, that could have caused that?"

"Instant healing?" Wirt snorted "No."

"Well, there was a possibility. Anyway, I talked to the doctors and they said you can go home today since there is nothing wrong with you…"She smiled. "Even though they haven't found an explanation to the 'why'."

"So, I'm going home again?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Please don't talk with your brother about this hallucination."

Wirt swallowed. The Unknown. The hallucination. The accident. "I didn't bring it up." He mumbled, "And I don't want to talk about that."

"I understand…" she smiled sadly. "I don't want to think about losing you ever again." She hugged the boy tightly and after a few seconds, Wirt returned the hug. They stayed like this for quite some time not daring to let go of each other. When Greg returned they included him into the hug, still silent able to convey their feelings without words.


	3. Chapter 3

Wirt wandered through the dark endless plain. There was nothing but darkness around him. Nervously the boy rubbed his arm. This was just a dream, just a dream. Wirt repeated this sentence in his mind, again and again, wanting nothing more than to wake up. His steps echoed into the endless void as he walked forward. He didn't dare to turn around, too scared of what might face him. This was a nightmare, he just wanted to wake up! Wirt went forward for what felt like an eternity-

"Wirt?" Wirt stopped abruptly, closed his eyes. This was not real, Greg wasn't here… this was just his imagination- "P-please, Wirt…"

Wirt just couldn't stand it. He turned around and his heart felt like it stopped. "Greg…" His voice was weak, his hand trembling. In front of him was his brother, standing in a snowy forest, Edelwood growing around -and probably also inside- him. Wirt stepped forward as if he was in trance. It was long forgotten that all this was just a dream. His steps grew faster and within a few moments, the boy was at Greg's side, tearing the branches away from him. The more he tried to free his brother, the more the branches seemed to grow. "No no no no no…" Wirt whispered, tears starting to fall.

"Wirt?" Greg asked, leaves falling out of his mouth. "It's… it's all your fault."

Wirt stumbled backward, falling into the snow. "W-Wha…" The branches grew even faster until leaving only Greg's face free.

"You are… you are the reason I am dying!" Greg's voice grew louder. "You are the reason WE are dying!"

"We?" Wirt asked, voice even weaker than before. His body felt beak numb, unable to feel the cold around him. Greg's eyes staring into his. Slowly his eyes seemed to make out what was behind the young boy. He gasped, his eyes widened. "Mom!" Wirt felt like he was going to puke. Behind Greg were so many Edelwood-trees. People with only faces free from the wood were staring at him. His mom, Greg's father, his own father- there seemed to be every single person who had something to do with Wirt.

Then the trees started talking. There were so many and the voices were so loud. Wirt couldn't make out a single word they were saying. It sounded like they were accusing him, mocking him, warning him- all at the same time. Wirt lifted his hands to cover his ears. "Stop." He whispered. "Please, stop." Tears started to fall again. What was happening?

When the noise seemed to reach its peak, everything went silent. Wirt looked around. He was in the darkness again. "It's a dream… it's all just a dream." He stood up, legs still weak. Wirt closed his eyes, turned around. "I need to wake up." He breathed and opened his eyes.

A scream escaped his throat as he stumbled backward again and fell into a seemingly endless void. But Wirt didn't care, he just wanted to be as far away as possible from those horrifying glowing eyes.

Wirt woke up. Somebody had knocked on his door. "Yeah?" he asked.

The door was opened and Greg walked in, carefully closing the door after himself. "W-wirt? Can I sleep with you?" The younger boy asked.

Wirt swallowed, Greg hadn't asked for that in quite some time. "Sure." He stated and Greg climbed into the bed next to Wirt.

"Thank you…"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Wirt asked, knowing that his brother must have had a nightmare (not unlike himself).

"It was The Beast…" Greg whispered, not elaborating his statement any further. Wirt just nodded.

After a few minutes, Wirt heard the calm breathing of his brother. He sighed, even though Greg wasn't afraid of The Unknown, he feared The Beast. After the boys had returned Greg often asked to sleep next to Wirt. He had defeated The Beast, so Greg expected to be safe next to him… Wirt wished he could feel safe too, knowing that he had slain The Beast.

He chuckled and fell asleep soon after.

When Wirt woke up, he felt something warm on his face. Slowly the boy opened his eyes and yawned. He sat up and tried to wake up more. "Greg?" Wirt asked, looking at the child next to him. Greg didn't answer. He turned around and continued snoring softly.

Wirt signed and got out of his bed, careful not to wake up Greg. The boy didn't wake up and Wirt walked out of his room, leaving the door open so that Greg wouldn't get too scared if he woke up alone.

He walked towards the kitchen, still yawning. He could already hear his mother preparing the breakfast. He reached out for the door handle. Wirt paused for a second as he heard not only his mothers but also Greg's fathers voice.

"I just…" he heard his mothers voice, the concern audible "I'm just worried about Wirt."

"I understand. But I don't know what we could do. Maybe we should take the offer and sent him back to the hospital." Greg's father sounded exhausted. They probably were discussing this for quite some time… But why should he go back to the hospital? And what offer? Had the hospital called? Was something wrong with him? Wirt started to hyperventilate. His whole body was trembling.

"But as the doctors said, they don't know what is wrong… they can't help!"

"But can we?"

"Yes!" Wirt could hear the determination in his mother's voice. "We will figure it out. Together!"

Wirt could hear Greg's father sight and whisper something Wirt couldn't make out through the wooden door to the kitchen. But his mind was somewhere else. What was wrong with him that worried his mother and Greg's father? A million questions went through Wirts mind. And he couldn't find a single answer. Everything was just so-

"Wirt?" Wirt was thorn away from his thoughts. He looked up. Greg's father had opened the door and was starring right at Wirt, the shock visible in his eyes. "Did you eavesdrop?"

"N-no!" Wirt said quickly. "I mean, uh, I just woke up…" sheepishly he rubbed his neck.

Greg's father just nodded. "Well, I think I'm going to wake up Greg… You can help your mother with breakfast Wirt, right?" The man smiled and Wirt nodded.

"Ah. Greg is in my room… he had a nightmare."

"Thank you, Wirt." With this words, Greg's father left the kitchen and headed toward Wirt's room. The silence that suddenly filled the whole room was heavy and Wirt didn't know what to do. He looked awkwardly around the room. His mother was standing in front of the window, looking outside.

"The morning is beautiful, isn't it?" Wirt asked. He silently cursed himself. How could he ask something stupid like this? Why couldn't he just ask what they were talking about? Why couldn't he just ask what was wrong?

"How do you feel?" His mother turned around, the concern not only audible in her voice but also visible in her eyes.

"G-good… yeah, good." Wirt answered, not quite sure himself. "Did the hospital call?"

"Yes." She stated, not looking Wirt in the eyes. "They asked for you to come for another checkup. It was… something wrong with your blood."

"W-what?" Wirt asked, panic slowly raising in him.

"They can't say if it is good or bad." His mother said, trying to reassure him. "But the doctors said that the substance does not seem to harm you."

"Substance?"

"Yes… the doctors couldn't pin it down exactly, but they said that the structure is similar to oil…"

Wirt couldn't listen anymore, the only thing he heard was the blood in his ears. Oil… oil… oil, like an edelwood-tree. Why was there oil in his bloodstream? Why? How? No, no no!

The boy felt a hand on his shoulder. "Mom?"

"Wirt, everything is going to be okay. We will figure it out, okay?"

"Y-yes…" Tears rolled down his cheeks. His mother whipped them away with his soft fingers. She smiled before embracing him into a tight hug.

After releasing him, she looked him directly into his eyes. "If something is wrong, tell me immediately, ok?"

"Yes…"

"Good!" she smiled. "Can you help me? I think we all are hungry." Wirt nodded. He felt better than before, even though he still had a bad feeling about all this.

Four people said around the table, the atmosphere was warm and cheerful. Greg was telling his parents and Wirt about his dream- the dream he had after climbing into his brother's bed. "And then there was a magical tiger! And it let me ride on it… The magical tiger had very soft fur." He smiled and all worries were forgotten, almost…

Greg noticed the tense atmosphere but he wanted to make his family happy. And they always smiled when he told them funny stories so he did exactly that. But today… even though his mom and dad were smiling and seemed happy, Wirt just continued looking down on his food, not touching anything.

"It felt like a sheep! You would have liked it, Wirt!" Greg tried to cheer him up but his brother just looked at him with a distance glance.

"Uhm…" Wirt nodded, looking down at his food again. His mom looked at him, eyes now filled with worry… Greg didn't know what to do, now his mom was sad too? He wanted to make them smile, to make mom and dad and Wirt laugh.

He fell silent. They all continued to eat, and even Wirt tried to eat something. Greg saw how hard it was for his brother, but he didn't know why. Was he missing something? He himself was missing Beatrice and the Woodsman, Auntie Whispers and Lorna. But Wirt had said that they were far far away and they couldn't go visit them. But Greg wasn't dumb. He knew now that he was older that The Unknown was a different world, a dangerous world. But the dangerous Beast had been defeated by Wirt, so it must be safe, right? Why couldn't they return?

"Can I go back to my room?" Greg looked up. Wirt had finished his breakfast.

"Yes…" His mother said. "But tell me if something is wrong, okay?" She smiled and Wirt smiled back, even though his eyes were still filled with something that Greg could only describe as sadness mixed with worry.

Wirt left the room and Greg was tempted to follow him but… Wirt would probably be angry if he did so, so the boy remained at the table.

It was only a few moments until Wirts terrified scream tore through the silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Wirt stood up and left the room, feeling the concerned eyes of his family on him. He closed the door behind himself, not once looking back at the three people still surrounding the table. The boy just needed time to calm down… this sounded so much easier than it actually was. Greg had tried to make him happy, that much Wirt had noticed even though his mind was far far away, but hadn't succeeded. The younger boy probably blamed himself for not being able to cheer him up…

He couldn't focus! Wirt walked down the corridor, heading toward the bathroom. How much did he need to be alone this moment, even though on the inside he yearned for his family.

The boy walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind himself, leaning against the door and starring ahead onto the white tiles that made up the wall. A feeling loneliness slowly got through to him. Wasn't that what he wanted? To be alone?

Wirt was alone, would always be alone. His breathing got faster. It felt like the air was becoming thicker with each moment, it got harder for Wirth to breath. No. He was not alone. Wirt tried to calm himself.

In and Out.

He had Greg, his mom, and even Greg's father. They all were there for him. They were family.

In and Out.

They would always be there for him. Nothing would change in the near future.

In and Out.

He would not turn into an insane wrack. He would not turn even more paranoid than he was after The Unknown.

In and Out.

He would go to college this September and nothing was going to stop him. He had his life before himself and nothing was going to hold him back.

In

And

Out

When he finally calmed down he sat on the floor, back still pressed to the locked door. Wirt stood up, legs still feeling like jelly. "Everything is okay." He stated, walking towards the sink. His hand gripping tightly around the sink. Wirt splashed cold water onto his face, trying to clear his mind. He looked up-

He needed a moment to realize that he was the loud scream was his own. Wirt was just too focused on what was staring back at him from inside the mirror. Those were not his eyes. Those were… he felt as if he was going to puke.

Pastel blue, pastel green, pastel red. Three colors glowing from inside his eye sockets, illuminating his whole face with a creepy light.

Those were not his eyes. This was NOT him. It couldn't be…

He blinked and the being in the mirror did the same. This could not be true. Those were… he was too afraid to admit it even in his mind. But there was no denying the truth, no matter how cruel it was. Those were The Beasts eyes.

The eyes of the creature he supposedly defeated. And yet they were staring right back at Wirt as if they were his and his alone.

His mind was spinning, his thoughts running in circles. Just one word was repeating over and over again. No.

His hands gripped the sink even tighter when he heard a knock on the door.

"-irt! Wirt!" That was his mom's voice. She sounded utterly terrified. "Wirt! What happened! Are you okay! Let us in!"

Wirt swallowed, looking back into the mirror only to avert his eyes imitate. No, the glowing orbs that now replaced his eyes. The boy didn't dare to speak up, too scared of what his voice might sound like.

"Open the door!" He heard Greg's father shout, hammering against the door. Wirt backed away like an animal faced with danger, glowing orbs wide. They couldn't come in. Not now. Not when he… when he… What would they think when they saw his… his eyes.

"Please, Wirt…" His mother sounded desperate, hurt and close to tears.

Something rammed against the door and Wirt shuttered. The word no kept circling through his mind, becoming more and more painful every second. More and more his world became blurred, the sounds muffled. Everything grew distant.

He vaguely heard the door being thrown open and people rushing into the room before everything turned black.

Erica knew that being a mother wasn't easy. Heck, it was difficult before everything went downhill… before Wirts father had left her.

They had tried out, for Wirts sake but in the end, they broke up, disappearing out of each other's lives. Wirt was old enough to realize what was going on by then. He was okay with it though, at least he said that.

He hadn't been okay with the divorce when Erica married Jonathan.

He seemed to hate the older man, not talking to him for a half year. But it kind of worked out somehow- things always seemed to work out. Wirt still despised the new half of their small family but he kept this mostly to himself.

Until Halloween. Until her kids almost died. God, had Erica been terrified. She had never been this scared in all of her life and she hoped she would never have to worry like this again. But Wirt and Greg returned. They acted differently than before- but Erica assumed that it was normal after having almost died. Both her boys got along way better than before, Wirt seemed to accept Greg and Jonathan as a family (finally after all those years) and Greg seemed to look up to Greg even more.

She didn't know what had happened exactly that night -Wirt always avoided her questions-, but she didn't care. They were fine. That was all that mattered for her.

That was until Greg talked about the forest he calls The Unknown. The place where he said both of them landed after falling into the lake. Greg's stories were terrifying but the boy didn't seem like he himself felt that way. He told her and Jonathan about all the people and animals they had met. About The Beast, they defeated. (The Beast scarred Erica, it sounded like a monster straight out of a horror movie.)

Erica researched near-death experiences after she found was remotely similar to what Greg said. Was it just all the imagination of her youngest? That was what Erica thought before he saw Wirts reaction.

Wirt looked down every time Greg talked about the forest. Looking… maybe a bit melancholic? Yearning? But also scared? Terrified? Erica couldn't get a grip on it but after asking her older son, he confirmed: Yes, he remembered the same. He remembered The Unknown.

It scared Erica because maybe, just maybe they really had experienced all this. She started to call The Unknown a hallucination, trying to avoid the topic.

When Wirt turned 18, everything was fine. The accident was left far behind. But now… now she stood in the bathroom, looking down at her collapsed son, not knowing how to act.

"Mom…" she turned around. Greg's voice was weak, eyes full of tears. Just looking at him was enough to pull her out of her trance.

"Greg dear, could you please go and open the door to Wirts room?" The boy nodded and hurried away. Erica turned around. "Jonathan, we have to carry him into his bed. Help me." She demanded.

They needed some time but after a short, while they put down Wirt into his bed, the boy still unconscious. Erica sat down next to her son, her hand touching his cold and pale face.

"Will he be okay, Mom?" Greg entered the room, whispering to not wake up Wirt.

"I hope so…" was all she could say. "I… I can't say anything for sure."

"Does Wirt have to go back to the hospital?"

"Probably…" Erica looked up. Smiling at Greg. "Mind getting your father?"

"Uhu." He stated, leaving the room only to return seconds later.

"He is still unconscious?" Jonathan asked as he stepped into the room. "I haven't called an ambulance yet… But I think I should. Just to be on the safe side…"

"Please…" Erica stated, nodding. "Just… have you seen it too?" She asked, hoping that her husband would understand what she meant.

He turned around, a knowing look in his eyes as he nodded. Greg started to look at both of them, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Ah, nothing important," Jonathan stated. "Wanna come with me?"

"Yeah…" Greg answered, still unsure, and left the room. He returned shortly after, running towards his brother's bed. He brushed away his brother's hair and kissed him on the forehead. "Wake up soon. Dear brother o' mine."

Erica couldn't help but smile at the gesture. She looked back at Wirt.

So, Jonathan had seen it too. She hadn't imagined the pastel colored light of Wirts eyes, moments before he closed them.

What was happening?

 **AN:**

 **Hey People. This Story is Crossposted on AO3. (Same Name)**

 **I hope you like it.**


	5. Chapter 5

Erica slowly opened her eyes. She needed a second to realize that she was not home… the white walls, the plain looking room… "Why am I…" she slurred. "The hospital?" She blinked the sleep out of her eyes, looking down at her son. Greg was sitting in her lab, still deeply asleep. On the chair next to her husband sat, also asleep. Erica didn't dare to move too much, not wanting to wake Greg up. She looked around, the memories of the past events slowly returning to her.

There on the hospital bed was laying Wirt as he was just sleeping peacefully. Nothing looked unusual about this scene except for the fact that they were in a hospital room.

Erica closed her eyes again… why had Wirts' eyes glowed in such a weird color? Why had they glowed at all? She knew that her son wouldn't tell her if he knew. Wirt had always been an introverted person, not wanting to bother anyone with his problems… but she just couldn't leave him alone with this!

Somehow… somehow she had the feeling that she had seen those eyes before. She couldn't recall when or where but… it seemed like a distant, long lost memory just out of her reach. Where? She looked at Wirt again.

Of course, they hadn't told the doctors about the eyes- not that they would have believed her- and no one could say anything other than that he had fainted from low blood pressure. That didn't explain why he was still conscious though, over four hours after he blacked out.

"Are you alright?" Erica's heart skipped a beat. Her mind needed a split second to recognize this voice as Jonathans.

"Yeah." She stated, not sounding sure herself. "I was just thinking…"

"Do you want me to hold Greg?" Jonathan asked. Erica nodded silently and her husband gently placed Greg on his own lab. The young boy didn't wake up and just snuggled into his father's chest. The man smiled down at him and sighed. "Do you think there is any truth to what the boys told us…"

"About the Unknown?" Erica nodded. "It seems likely… when they woke u-" the woman stood up abruptly, nearly throwing over the chair she sat on, and took her jacket already reaching for the keys inside the pocket. "I need to go!" She stated quickly. "I will be back in an hour!" Without waiting for an answer, she ran out of the room.

Erica knew where she had seen those eyes before.

Wirt woke up. The warm sun touched his skin and the leaves underneath his body were comfortable, soft even. He stood up. Looking around. Wirt took a moment to realize where he was. This was The Unknown!

The boy wanted to panic, but the feeling of 'home' and 'safety' overwhelmed every other feeling he had. This was home. He should not fear anything. There was nothing to fear. He took a deep breath. "Hello?" he shouted. Maybe this was a dumb idea he realized but, it was as if he could tell there was nothing near him that would (could) harm him.

"Is someone there?" Wirt asked again as he started to walk between the trees. The unknown looked different than before. He knew that it was The Unknown… but. It was hard to explain. All the trees looked like they were dying, slowly rotting away. Only seconds before falling because the roots were already destroyed… What had happened here? Just looking at the forest made Wirt's heard ache.

The boy wasn't even sure how this worked. Weren't the Edelwood trees lost souls? What was happening to the souls if the trees died?

It just felt wrong.

The forest seemed to be endless, just like the first time they were here, and Wirt began wondering what had happened to all their friends. How much time had gone by in The Unknown? Was Beatrice still around. What about the Woodsman? Wirt knew that this place was some kind of in between… could the people die here? There were just so many questions he had no answers to.

He continued walking. Wirt did not know where he was going but it just felt right… Like there was something drawing him to… wherever he was going. Like a moth was drawn to the light.

Wirt stumbled as his foot caught on something solid. Was it a rock? He stood up, not bothering with the dirt on his clothes and looked at the object. It was the beasts' lantern. Somehow, Wirt was not surprised. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had expected to find it.

Despite any common sense, he reached out to touch the lantern.

"Stop." Wirt turned around, searching for the source of the oh so familiar voice. "Wirt?"

When Greg woke up, his mom was not in the room anymore and his dad was asleep. He hopped down and ran towards his brothers' bed. The older boy was still unconscious. Greg had seen Wirt like this before… when he woke up before his brother after the unknown.

"Wirt?" the boy asked. He knew that his brother wouldn't answer him. After all, Wirt was in the Unknown. "Can you say everyone hi from me? I hope you wake up soon brother o' mine." Greg smiled. "And that we can go to The Unknown together!" The boy sat down next to his brother's unconscious form, legs swinging over the edge of the bed. "And we can take Jason Funderburker with us! You know, even though mom has forbidden us to keep him, he still lives in our garden. He probably wants to go back too…"

Greg took his brother's hand. "Aaand you have to wake up soon." He stated. "You promised me to help me with my homework!"

"Hnn…" Greg stared at his brother. Did he wake up? Well, he promised Greg to help and Wirt always kept his promises. "Beatrice…" Wirt whispered.

Greg's eyes lit up. So Wirt was in The Unknown after all.


	6. Chapter 6

Erica drove like a madman. She couldn't bring herself to care. She needed to go to her own mother's house.

Oh, just why hadn't she thought about this when Greg had, for the first time after his and his brother accident, mentioned the so-called Beast? Why had she pushed those memories into the back of her mind?

She jumped out of the car as soon as she arrived at her destination. Erica ran up the small path up to the front door, simultaneously fiddling with her keys. She knew she had the key for the front door here somewhere… There it was.

Her hands were shaking, and Erica honestly couldn't explain why. She turned the doorknob and entered the building. It was dark and dusty. A stranger would have thought that no one lived here but Erica knew her mother. The old woman was here somewhere, not that Erica was hoping to meet her. She just wanted to take the pictures.

"Hey Mom," she shouted into the silence. "I am just here to look at something, don't bother with leaving the bed. I'll be away within seconds!" Erica closed the door and walked up the stairs, towards to the room she grew up in.

Erica was aware that her mother had started to use her old bedroom as a storage room and she really hoped she would find those paintings. If she had to ask her mother… she shuddered.

The woman opened the door and was hit with the smell of dust and old paint. Yup, the right room, she thought. With a deep breath, Erica stepped inside.

Paintings over paintings were stacked inside the room and Erica wondered whether her mom always had that many or if there were new ones. She really hoped it was the former because her mothers' old paintings already were disturbing enough.

Greg knew he shouldn't have left the hospital while his dad was still asleep but… he had to! And he left a note so that his father knew that he was going home. The young boy had to find something out!

He arrived at the house around 40 minutes later and went directly for the garden. "Jason Funderberker!" he shouted, waiting for the frog to appear. His mom sadly hadn't allowed him to take Jason inside, so the frog had gotten a small little cabin in this back of the garden. Hand-build by Greg himself (and the boy was proud of it)!

Croaking the frog came into view and Greg couldn't stop himself from hugging the frog. Said frog croaked in protest.

"I am so sorry, Jason Funderberker!" Greg grinned. "But we have some detective work to do!" He sat the frog down in front of him and sat down on the floor, not caring for his pants. "Detective Funderberker," Greg stated, his face turned serious. "We have a new case."

The Frog looked at him with what could only be called an equally serious expression.

Greg continued presenting the case to the best he could. "My brother is in The Unknown and Mom and Dad want him back here in this world." He started to grin again. He was going to be a real detective and even got the chance to help his brother. He was proud of himself. "To find out how he went to the Unknown we are going to search Wirts room for evidence." He lifted the frog up again and ran towards the house, searching for the spare key.

He found it within seconds and took the frog inside. First, they stopped inside the kitchen and Greg filled all his pockets with sweets. "Detective Greg can think better when he eats bonbons." He stated matter-of-factly when he caught Jason Funderberker starring weirdly at him. "Do you want one as well?" He asked politely, but the frog declined.

"Aaaaand up to Writs room we goooo!" Greg started to sing to light up the mood. This was going well, he knew it. He was going to be the one finding out what was going on. He slipped into the room of his brother. There was nothing out of place here. "Hmmm…" Greg stated rubbing his chin. "Where should we look first? Any ideas detective?" He asked.

Jason Funderberker croaked.

"That is a brilliant idea!" Greg's eyes lit up. "Come on!" He ran forward and looked underneath his brothers' bed. Greg also kept a lot of things underneath his bed. If someone were to find him they would probably look there too. So…

That was surprisingly disappointing. Under Wirt's bed was nothing… It looked almost to clean. It was visible on Greg's face, that he had expected… something. He signed. "False alarm, detective." He stated and turned around.

"Where do you have that from?" Greg asked as he took the large cardboard box that Jason Funderberker was pushing forward to him. He placed it on the bed and jumped on it himself, followed by the frog. He opened it and was greeted by many notebooks.

"Poems…" he read. "Well it appears that we have found a secret-" Greg started but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. "Wait here, Jason, I am going to be right back."

With that, he stood up, wondering who it possibly could be.

Erica stared at the picture in front of her. That was what she was searching for.

It terrified her. Oh, how much had she hoped that she just imagined the connection between the painting and her son but… a shudder went down her spine.

The picture was painted mainly with black and grey, just like every single picture in this room. The creature in the middle was painted in black, just like the trees around it. It looked vaguely human, yet it was twisted, with branches growing from his head. When Erica had been younger, she had called the creature the 'Tree Man', that much she remembered but…

The Eyes. Those glowing colorful… things, looking so out of place in the face of this monster. But they had also looked out of place in the face of her son.

Her hands were shaking. No! No! nO!

"Mind telling me why you returned for that drawing?" Erica turned around. Her mother stood behind her, looking down on her disapprovingly. "I believe that you have so story to tell. Or am I wrong, Erica?"

Erica swallowed. What did her mother know?


	7. Chapter 7

„So, The Unknown is slowly dying?" Wirt asked, looking at the red-haired girl sitting next to him. He couldn't believe it. That was Beatrice! He didn't know what he had expected, but… certainly not this… They had settled down on a dead tree in the forest. The wind was shuffling through the brown leaves.

"Yep." She stated. "My mother said it was because of the beast… But no one in the Unknown seems to know the real reason." She sighted. "Or at least nobody wants to tell us. Quit starring!"

W irt turned red and muttered a quite sorry. He didn't want to stare but it was so… weird. He always thought of Beatrice as a bird, not as a person. Wirt had known that there was a girl beneath the appearance of a bird but… It seems that the realization of what that meant had just hit him.

"Where's Greg." She asked.

"Home, with our parents. He probably wants me to tell you 'Hi' from him. He really missed The Unknown. And you all." He added.

"One year can be a long time…" Beatrice sighted, shaking her head.

"One year?" Wirt asked, unsure. It hadn't been just one year… At least not for him, or everybody else he knew. Could it be that time moves differently between the two worlds? One year in the Unknown is four years in his… But he and Greg had spent days in the Unknown their first town around, which had turned out to be mere seconds in the lake (thankfully).

"-irt? Wirt!" Beatrice shouted as she received no answer from the boy. "Earth to Wirt! Hey!"

"S-sorry." He muttered apologetically "It's just… I haven't been here for four years…"

Beatrice shrugged it off. "Time is weird." She stated. "But you are an idiot for thinking too much about it."

"Yeah… Probably." Wirt smiled sheepishly. He watched Beatrice stand up and dust of her dress, looking at him questioning.

"So, do you want to come back with me or what?"

"Y-yes,." Wirt answered quickly, nodding his head.

"Then come. I want to be home before it gets dark and I know how _slow_ you walk."

###

Erica sat in her mother's kitchen. The old woman was preparing tea for them both. Erica was more than just creeped out by the atmosphere that was filling the room. Her mother had put on a fake, far to a sweet smile.

"Erica, dear." Her mother started, and a shiver went down the younger woman's spine. This was so wrong. "Mind telling me what you were searching for."

Every instinct within Erica screamed 'run'. She took a deep breath… everything would turn out alright. She was doing this for her son. "Well… I…" What excuse should she use? Telling the truth was out of question… even if her mother had seen those eyes as well. "I just thought I saw a painting similar to yours. I wasn't sure if I was just mistaking or if you had sold yours, so I came back to check. Because… it would be very unlike you to sell one of your… beautiful paintings. If you would have sold one, Jonathan asked me to ask you to buy one from you for our living room."

Her mother had sat down at a chair while Erika was rambling and now raised an eyebrow. "And you think I believe you blatant lie?" She asked, voice still sweet like sugar. "You never liked my art and your husband never saw any of it. Where did you see it?"

"The painting?" Erica was feeling like a little child again, arguing with her mother, trying to avoid her questions. It reminded her of Wirt when he was embarrassed. Apparently, he had got it from her.

"The Beast." Her mother's cold eyes stared into hers.

"No." Erica's answer was barely a whisper. She wasn't even sure why she said no. Did she said it because she never saw The Beast or because she just hopes her mother would correct herself into something more… no, less like what Greg told her.

"No? Wirt and Greg?" Of course, her mother knew what has happened.

"Yes…" Erica stared at the table, not looking into her mothers' eyes. "What… what is the beast?" She started to doubt that The Unknown was a hallucination the second she saw those… eyes but now all hopes that it all was just imagination were shattered.

"They both have survived the Unknown. That is rare."

"What?"

"They told you about it, didn't they? But of course, you are a stubborn girl, not believing in stuff you don't see yourself. So, what did you see that makes you change your mind?"

Erica ignored her mothers' question. "Tell me about The Unknown." She looked up. The determination was written in her face.

Her mother merely looked amused. Her smile was one that she knew so well, one that she learned to hate so much during her own childhood. She half expected not to get an answer out of her, but the older woman opened her mouth. "You know how your father died, don't you?"

"You said it was an accident shortly after I was born." Erica was confused. What had that to do with anything? She never knew the man.

"He died later in the hospital while I survived, barely." Her voice sounded detached, no emotion audible. "Within The Unknown, he traded his life for mine."

###

Beatrice's family was nice. They were many and the house never seemed to quiet down, but… for Wirt, it was a welcomed change. It distracted him more than he could have wished for and he was thankful for that.

They allowed him to stay in the houses small guest room for as long as he wanted to and some of Beatrice's siblings had offered him to find a way to bring him home since the memory about how Wirt and Greg had returned the first time around was… foggy at best.

For a short while, Wirt forgot that he was trapped again. But now, that a blanket of darkness laid over the Unknown and silence filled the house, it hurt. He wished nothing more than to go back home. Wirt new he had a time limit… before he died. His real body had to be at the brink of death and he didn't know why.

That was a lie.

Of course, he knew why. He remembered his own eyes before… before he woke up in the Unknown. Yet, his brain refused to think about what that could imply. What that could mean… But deep-down Wirt knew. And it scared him.

Silently he stood up and opened the door. The floorboards creaked, and Wirt paused. No one woke up. Wirt swallowed and continued his way outside. He needed fresh air… He needed to clear his mind or else he would never be able to sleep.

Wirt stepped outside, the grass tingling his bare feet. The night was cold, but Wirt didn't feel it. He stepped closer to the forest like a moth drawn to light, unable to stop himself. Slowly he walked between the trees listening to the wind shuffling through the leaves. He didn't go that far from Beatrice's home, they would be worried if he wasn't back when the sun rises, but far enough to not use the house anymore.

Wirt sighted. What was wrong with him? Why did he feel such a strong pull towards the forest? Why did he need so long to answer the forests calls?

Metal hit skin and the boy was torn from his thoughts. There was the lantern of the beast again. Had he really walked that far? Without thinking Wirt lifted the dark metal up. It was dirty, dusty from lying on the forest ground for too long but it still looked like it had after Wirt blew it out four years ago. He looked it over and soon Wirt's eyes were pinned to the back wall of the lanterns chamber. Without thinking he tried to blow the dirt away to reveal what was caved into the dark metal.

Beatrice was woken up by a loud scream.

###

Jonathan had been kicked out from the hospital. Who even invented stupid things just like visiting hours? His wife still wasn't back, and Greg seemingly went back on his own if he could trust the small note the boy wrote.

Deep in thoughts, he started to walk back home. Nothing seemed to make sense…

"Jonathan." A car stopped next to the man and he smiled at his wife. "Where is Greg?" her voice was swelling with panic.

"He already went home," Jonathan assured her. "Found out anything?"

"Yes," Erica answered, impatiently tapping her finger against the steering wheel as she waited for her husband to enter the car. "We have a lot to talk about at home."

The rest of the very short car ride was silent. Jonathan was a bit nervous, whatever his wife found out, it wasn't good news. Only 2 minutes later they arrived at their house.

"Jonathan!" Erica's eyes were wide open and without waiting for more he sprinted out of the car.

"Greg?!" The door was left open, no Greg in sight. "Greg?" This wasn't supposed to happen… "Gregory?!" The boy was nowhere. Jonathan hoped so hard that Greg just would come out of hiding and hug him, but…

Seeing the state their house was in, this was very unlikely.

 **Sorry for the long wait.  
I am trying to post a new chapter in something less than a month.  
Thanks for the reviews, follows and favs.  
You are all awesome.**

 **You can also read or download this story on , same user-name and same story title.**


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